Is a gimballed stove really necessary?

[westhinder]

We did a 13 day ocean passage, of which 11 days were on the wind with 20-30 degrees heel. I honestly cannot imagine how we would have cooked without gimbals. As it was, it was difficult enough to prepare things on the sloping worktops.
Second point, I am surprised that not all gimballed stoves seem to have a bolt so they can be locked. Surely that’s a no brainier?

 

[capnsensible]

We did a 13 day ocean passage, of which 11 days were on the wind with 20-30 degrees heel. I honestly cannot imagine how we would have cooked without gimbals. As it was, it was difficult enough to prepare things on the sloping worktops.
Second point, I am surprised that not all gimballed stoves seem to have a bolt so they can be locked. Surely that’s a no brainier?

You can reef at cook o clock. Or bear away and ease sheets for a bit. The big cage ....for want of a better description.....we got made for the top of the cooker worked fine. When we bought the yacht the galley arrangement had already been converted to kinda houseboat. We had reservations but decided to trial it before junking it. I even got a tiled surface all around the cooker and sink. So with some misgivings, we set off on our first longer passage on the boat from UK to Gib. That was in 1999.

Haven't changed it! Have replaced the hob burners and put in a new oven, like for like. So all those years later still happy. I think it's probably the only monohull I've sailed without a gimballed cooker. And on some of those I've had to lock it to stop it being trashed in bumpy seas.

Some mid Atlantic cake making has been a bit kinda triangular in section though.

 

[prv]

I am surprised that not all gimballed stoves seem to have a bolt so they can be locked. Surely that’s a no brainier?

My otherwise-excellent Spinflow Nelson has an entirely glass front, so there’s nowhere to attach a bolt. In theory the gimbal pivots can be clamped to lock it, but the slightest appreciation of torque and leverage will show that’s a nonsense. You learn to live with it, and just control the angle with the hand that’s on the oven handle when opening it.

Pete

 

[Rappey]

I don't have gimbals. My cooker faces fore and aft directly below the mast.
You learn to live with it.

 

[geem]

You can reef at cook o clock. Or bear away and ease sheets for a bit. The big cage ....for want of a better description.....we got made for the top of the cooker worked fine. When we bought the yacht the galley arrangement had already been converted to kinda houseboat. We had reservations but decided to trial it before junking it. I even got a tiled surface all around the cooker and sink. So with some misgivings, we set off on our first longer passage on the boat from UK to Gib. That was in 1999.

Haven't changed it! Have replaced the hob burners and put in a new oven, like for like. So all those years later still happy. I think it's probably the only monohull I've sailed without a gimballed cooker. And on some of those I've had to lock it to stop it being trashed in bumpy seas.

Some mid Atlantic cake making has been a bit kinda triangular in section though.

We converted our boat from fixed electric cooking back to gimbals after our first delivery trip with it from Portsmouth to North Wales. Like many delivery trips it was a bit rough. F7 from Lands End up to Milford Haven following a couple of days of F9 so bumpy seas. We decided there was no way we could live without gimbals. We installed a new three burner gas stove with gimbals and a lock. We spent time ensuring the cooker could swing through the maximum angle within the given space. We achieved 35deg. In really rough weather we fix a damper to stop the cooker banging. It works really well. We also installed extra deep fiddles to the galley and changed the sinks for deeper sinks. We also added a spring retainer on the top loading fridge to keep the lid open. The transformation in the ability to cook at sea without heaving too or changing course to flatten the boat is significant. We can pretty well cook anything now in most narly weather?

 

[Babylon]

...a little IKEA £40 single ring induction which fits perfectly inside the fiddles on top of our gimballed gas stove. So far only used in the marina but it boils the kettle three times faster than full flame on the big ring of the gas, which surprised me.

We use a big cheap plastic kettle to boil water when there's shore-power.

Re gimbals, we're so small and tender (initially but then stiffen up significantly), that it would be a constant disaster if the cooker was fixed or ever locked when at sea! Here in a F3 under all plain sail just in the Solent (and the chopping board always gives a level surface for buttering toast or balancing aluminium mugs):

 

[Frogmogman]

If you're planning on embarking any slithy toves, you should definitely have gimbals.

 

[mjcoon]

If you're planning on embarking any slithy toves, you should definitely have gimbals.

"wabe" = "wave" or "wake"?

 

[Frogmogman]

"wabe" = "wave" or "wake"?

That's always been my assumption.

 

[mjcoon]

If you're planning on embarking any slithy toves, you should definitely have gimbals.

I only had to Google "professor nonsense" to get reminded of the name: Stanley Unwin

 

[doug748]

My otherwise-excellent Spinflow Nelson has an entirely glass front, so there’s nowhere to attach a bolt. In theory the gimbal pivots can be clamped to lock it, but the slightest appreciation of torque and leverage will show that’s a nonsense. You learn to live with it, and just control the angle with the hand that’s on the oven handle when opening it.

Pete

Mine has a hole ( I must have drilled it) in the pressed web/seam just below the oven. The bolt is on a block fixed to the boat. Works ok, must have been carried over from the original Belling that I had.

.

 

[Arcady]

Thanks, Good People of this Digital Village.

I'm encouraged by how many people either prefer - or at least manage - without gimbals. It seems to be more of a personal choice than anything - or perhaps just that the boat came equipped that way. Clearly not having gimbals is not a show-stopper for cooking on passage: it's simply what one gets used to.

I suspect I'll go with the domestic induction hob and decent fiddles. For those that are interested, as well as selling stoves, Techimpex sell a range of fiddles on their own: http://www.techimpex.net/panholders.pdf.

 

[oldmanofthehills]

The first thing I did on our latest boat when we were settled with her was rip out the fixed stove and put in gimballed. She is small and a bit rolly and the channel chop bounces her around, but we like cooking meals while underway and drinking tea to pass the time/steady our nerves.

The fiddles that came with the boat did nothing, new higher ones were better but a stew pan leaped across the pilot house from galley to the helms legs and might have caused burns but for good luck. (Some stew was salvaged) New stove fitted, gimballed and fiddles repurposed

Even gimballed cookers cant guarantee things. On our old boat we shot up on a straight wave front and plunged into a void and the pan failed to follow the cooker back down. Curry spilled in clean bucket under cooker so not all lost.

Its gimballed cookers for me. Maybe on bigger boat only in ideal conditions or if you live on sandwiches when weather roughish, then non-gimballed will suffice.

Commercial boats have a different situation in that a cook is allocated to manage the stove and cooking, unlike us shorthanded cruisers

 

[Pete7]

We made the start of that journey last year buying a little IKEA £40 single ring induction which fits perfectly inside the fiddles on top of our gimballed gas stove.

Is there a risk that the induction hob will also heat things below itself as well as a pan on top, like steel bits of the cooker?

Pete

 

[Praxinoscope]

I have experienced both gimballed and non gimballed cookers on board, and I do prefer a gimballed cooker.

 

[RupertW]

Its gimballed cookers for me. Maybe on bigger boat only in ideal conditions or if you live on sandwiches when weather roughish, then non-gimballed will suffice.

Is there a risk that the induction hob will also heat things below itself as well as a pan on top, like steel bits of the cooker?

Pete

No, it has a plastic base and seems cool even after an hour’s cooking.

 

[James_Calvert]

No one's mentioned toast. Our grill pan lets us know very rapidly if we've forgotten to unlock the gimbal before setting sail.

 

[dom]

Wow, the forum seems split about 50:50 on this and everybody is happy with their personal choice!

That's the great thing about sailing - there's no perfect way

 

[geem]

Wow, the forum seems split about 50:50 on this and everybody is happy with their personal choice!

That's the great thing about sailing - there's no perfect way

I suspect it generally depends on how you sail. We have friends who rarely go below when sailing. They make a flask before they set off and some sandwiches. You wouldnt really need a cooker most of the time. I personally cant imagine being at sea for a few days without the ability to cook a decent meal in bumpy conditions. I am not talking about a Fray Bentos pie or a tin of beans. Having said that, our previous boat was a cat. No need for gimbals on that boat?

 

[dom]

I suspect it generally depends on how you sail. We have friends who rarely go below when sailing. They make a flask before they set off and some sandwiches. You wouldnt really need a cooker most of the time. I personally cant imagine being at sea for a few days without the ability to cook a decent meal in bumpy conditions. I am not talking about a Fray Bentos pie or a tin of beans. Having said that, our previous boat was a cat. No need for gimbals on that boat?

Lol and I'm 100% with you on this and find it hard to imagine life without gimbals on say a long blowy beat!

Then again captainsensible is an ocean wanderer and it doesn't seem to bother him in the slightest.

One other option not mentioned above for those with decent inverters, batteries, and charging setups is microwaves. One can bang some really quite good ready meals straight from the freezer into the microwave and just nuc them for a few mins. If it's really blowy, people are always shocked to be given a menu and these meals are especially convenient if someone wants to eat something before crashing out, etc.